Oh, where to begin.

Kim Reynolds’ announcement that she’s stepping aside comes after nearly a decade of driving Iowa’s policy bus off the community cliff. Her departure feels less like a mic drop. It is more like that moment in a sitcom. A character walks away from a flaming kitchen saying, “Well, my work here is done.” Now she wants us to believe she’s leaving with “a full heart.” This is interesting. Many Iowans would say her policies seemed crafted with a calculator, a cold brew, and a complete lack of empathy.

Let’s take her greatest hits tour for a spin:

• Public education? Starved like it was a political prisoner. Reynolds shifted funds toward private institutions under the banner of “parental choice.” This is similar to saying Iowa parents can choose any flavor of ice cream. However, it must be sold in Des Moines by one of her preferred vendors.
• Rural representation? Well, let’s just say she didn’t really “protect small-town voices.” Instead, she redrew the map in a way that would make a gerrymander blush. That whole “redistricting to reflect population changes” thing? Yeah, more like “let’s make blue counties whiter and redder, fast.”
• Feeding children? She avoided a federally funded program with proven reach. Instead, she handed the keys to a few politically connected vendors. She hoped they’d magically feed tens of thousands of kids. Spoiler: they didn’t. And that wasn’t an oops — that was a strategy. Apparently, in her Iowa, hunger is character-building.

So why is she unpopular?

Maybe it’s the executive orders. They read like love letters to Ron DeSantis and President Trump with an Iowa zip code. Maybe it’s watching basic health care access decrease rapidly. It shrinks like a sweater in a dryer while she claims victory for “family values.” Or maybe it’s that she’s managed to govern like someone who doesn’t trust government. Yet, she very much wants to control who it helps.

But sure, Kim. Let’s pretend this decision was uploaded to X/Twitter hastily. It was hours after being publicly crowned America’s least-liked governor in a national poll. Let’s pretend the timing wasn’t meant to soften the headlines.

And that speech? Well, props to her team. It hit all the expected notes: rural nostalgia, bootstrap mythology, and the obligatory “God bless Iowa” ending. But here’s the thing: you can’t invoke “Iowa values” while simultaneously gutting the very systems that let those values flourish. Education. Health care. Local governance. Basic compassion.

So what do I think?

I think Reynolds didn’t just wear out her welcome. She bulldozed it and privatized the rubble. Then, she handed the deed to a donor. She blamed “big government” when folks couldn’t afford the rent anymore.

But hey, at least we know what she’ll be doing in retirement. She’ll be cheering from the bleachers, track meet by track meet. Meanwhile, Iowa’s infrastructure, mental health services, and school systems limp behind her legacy like a wind-damaged hog barn in January.

Enjoy the family time, Governor.

Iowa’s got some rebuilding to do.

Enough with the damage control. It’s time for leadership that doesn’t need to be explained away.

Kim Reynolds may be stepping down, but don’t be fooled — the machinery she built is still running. If we sit this next election out, we’re inviting another just like her. They will pick up the keys and drive Iowa deeper into the ditch.

The time to act is not next year. It’s NOW.

Now is the time to recruit bold, principled, people-first candidates. We need not just politicians, but real Iowans. They should be ready to serve all of us, not just the donors and not just the loudest ideologues. If you’ve ever said, “I wish someone better would run,” this is your moment to be that someone. Alternatively, find and support them with everything you’ve got.

Because silence is what got her elected. And silence will elect her clone.

We cannot afford that.

Start the search. Start the organizing. Start the conversations.
And for the love of every public school still standing — SHOW UP.

The seat is open.
The stakes are high.
And every single one of us has a role to play in what happens next.